


Happily Ever After?

by JoyDragon



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU, Aang/Toph - Freeform, Aged-Up Character(s), Arranged Marriage, F/M, Rare Pair, Respectful Husband Aang, Slow Burn, Taang - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:49:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29591676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyDragon/pseuds/JoyDragon
Summary: Toph is a lady of high society, and her hand in marriage is much coveted by many men. In fact, someone very powerful takes interest in the blind girl.Someone her father immediately marries her off to.The Avatar.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong
Comments: 45
Kudos: 72
Collections: 2021 Avatar Pro-Shipping Rare Pair Challenge





	1. Arranged Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> A new Taang story! If you've read my other Taang stories you know I'm not gonna make Aang a total dick, and this will eventually have a happy ending. With 'On The Precipice' I had most of the story written. Unfortunately with this story... I do not. So it'll be fun stay tuned! No idea how many chapters I will draw this out into so just stay along for the ride.
> 
> There is a 'Rare Pair Challenge' going on right now that I just found out about, and the first prompt is Arranged Marriage and I just so happened to have this story in the works. Coincidence!
> 
> Shoutout to gimmezutara who beta read and just overall gave me some ideas and support. I have been slowly turning her to the Taang side hehehe

Toph had met Aang only a handful of times, mostly at large galas or national balls. She'd barely spoken a few words to him, and only small talk that was acceptable at these types of events. She had politely curtsied, and shook his hand for introductions- and the only thing that stood out about him was that his hands were surprisingly soft.

She was very surprised one night at dinner when her father announced the Avatar wanted to court her.

"What!?"

"This is an honor to our family, Toph! You must make a good impression!"

And from then on her parents clamored over her to make sure she looked right, said the right things, behaved right...

Basically anything but being herself.

Aang was nice enough, Toph supposed. She imagined he must only be showing a very surfacey version of himself as well. Their 'dates' were monitored after all. But he had made her laugh a few times, and he was never too forward or rude in any way.

Even when they danced together at one of her parent’s extravagant balls, he didn’t touch her inappropriately or whisper lewd things in her ear, which she much appreciated. Aang was only ever a polite gentleman.

He seemed quite awkward, stumbling over his words a lot. Toph was a bit amused by this, and even more amused when his heartbeat would jump. She must be very pretty indeed.

Maybe he liked her looks, but he had no idea who she was. And likewise, she didn't truly know him either. She couldn't exactly speak with him so personally. Their courtship was too formal, too stiff for that.

Toph was stunned when her mother flounced into her room one afternoon. The Avatar had asked her father for her hand in marriage. 

So soon?

"Oh this is perfect! You'll be wed to the _Avatar_ himself! The Bei Fong name will forever be recognized for your union with him!"

Poppy had gone on and on, but Toph felt nothing but cold dread. Here it was, the moment her life was over.

Not that it was much of a life to begin with, sure, but she at least had some bit of freedom at her parents' estate. And now that freedom would be gone.

She'd heard horrible things about marriage from the other noble girls her age. About how their chosen husbands were cruel and hurtful, how they'd force themselves on the girls and impregnate them, how they'd hit them if they talked back or disagreed. Toph did not ever want to be married. (But it's not like she’d ever had much of a choice in what she wanted.)

And she had no idea what kind of man Aang truly was. Would he hit her for speaking out of turn? Force himself into her and make her bear his children?

This was her life now...

* * *

The wedding itself was a huge event. One that Toph certainly didn't care for. Her face hurt from the strained smile she had to wear all day.

She didn't even get to eat or drink much from all the talking and polite listening and nodding along she had to do. Spirits, she didn't even get to talk to Aang much at all- like maybe ask him why he wanted to marry her.

But now they were leaving, and she would be truly alone with him for the first time.

Toph hid her trembling hands in the folds of her skirts. She didn't want to show her fear.

"Well, that's over! Geesh, this is the first time today I can actually relax." Aang joked as they settled into the carriage, on their way to their honeymoon location.

She let her shoulders become a little less tense. Joking, she could handle joking.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. My face is stuck in a smile." Toph jested, hoping she wasn't overstepping. Maybe she was supposed to stay silent?

Aang chuckled lightly and answered her, "At least it's a nice smile."

She wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so she shrugged slightly and turned to 'stare' out the window.

They were in a very fancy carriage, riding to somewhere just outside Gaoling. Toph knew it wasn't the Avatar's home- his home was much too far to travel to even overnight. It would take days to get there, he had told her. They would stay at a private inn before making the journey.

The ride was short. Her heart hammered as the carriage stopped at their destination. 

This was it.

* * *

Toph’s bags were unpacked in the wardrobe, and now all she could do is wait for her new husband to retire to the bedroom. She took a deep breath, she could do this. She had to.

And Aang seemed nicer than most, he’d surely be more gentle with her, right?

Her hands shook as she discarded her robe and positioned herself on the bed- like a good wife. Like her mother told her to do.

Toph wasn’t waiting long before she heard him approach. He knocked softly and then she heard the door open. "Toph do you want to-"

He gasped as he saw her naked in the large bed.

Toph squeezed her eyes shut, unable to hide her trembling now. "I know how this works. So just do it."

Silence.

"Toph... what... this..."

He seemed at a loss for words, which didn't make sense to her. What was he waiting for? She grit her teeth. "Look, I know you're just going to force yourself on me no matter what I say, so just get it over with."

"Toph! I'm not going to rape-"

She laid herself down, spreading her legs open and hearing him make a choking noise. She put her arms over her face, trying to at least hide the tears in her eyes. This was going to hurt.

"Just... do whatever." She whispered. Her whole body must be shaking now.

Suddenly, the feeling of fabric covered her bare body. Toph blinked in confusion, lowering her arms down slightly. It was a blanket.

"I will not touch you if you don't want to be touched." Aang spoke firmly.

"W-what?" She whimpered, perplexed. This… wasn’t how she was told it would go.

His voice was farther away, as if he was retreating. "Toph, I am not a man that treats his wife badly. You'll see. I'm going to sleep in the other room, good night."

Toph sat up in confusion, even as she heard the door shut softly. She held the blanket to her chest and wondered just what kind of man she had married…

  
  



	2. Can I Trust You?

Toph woke late the next morning. Normally she had a maid wake her and dress her. She sat up slowly, her hands searching the bed to see if she was truly alone.

Aang had said he wouldn't touch her... She hadn't really believed him. She expected him to come back in, and the anxiety made her toss and turn all night long.

But Aang never came back into the bedroom.

Getting dressed took her longer without a maid, but she didn't mind. It gave her more time to be alone and ponder over her new husband. Eventually, she had nothing to do but go out and face him. Would he be awkward, or even resentful? Surely this man couldn’t be as nice as he seemed, right?

She didn't know this inn very well, but by walking slowly and following the scent of cooking food, she made it to the kitchen area. She made a mental note to try and map out the layout later.

"Good morning, wife!" Aang said cheerily. "Breakfast is almost ready!"

Well, he didn’t seem upset at all. Happy, even. She would follow his lead then. Toph raised an eyebrow in the direction of his voice. "You're cooking?"

"Yep! I promise it will taste good!"

Toph hummed, a small smile unwillingly pulling at her lips. Who would have thought that Mr. ‘Savior of the World’ Avatar would cook his own food... She voiced her question, "Why don't you have a cook or a maid prepare it?"

Aang's voice seemed closer when he answered, "Oh, I thought you'd be tired of servants. Your dad told me you'd rather do things on your own." He continued hurriedly, "But I can hire some if you want! Or if you ever need help with anything, you can always call on me, I don't mind!"

Toph knew her eyes must have been blown wide. This man...

He was thoughtful?

"Here." She heard a chair scraping across the floor. "Sit and I'll bring out the food."

His hand fell on the small of her back, and Toph instinctively flinched away. Aang immediately withdrew his hand and she heard him walk away from her. She felt a little bad, he had already proven he wasn't going to force himself on her and he was only guiding her to the chair. But still she flinched away from him.

Toph sighed softly in annoyance with herself and took her seat. He had been nice to her so far. She didn't want to make him  _ angry _ .

It seems she still hadn't upset him.

Even though the floors were wooden, she could practically feel his flighty steps as he ran about the kitchen, humming quietly to himself. She felt herself relaxing a bit more in his presence. (Maybe she could believe him that he wasn't going to be cruel to her.)

Soon enough he had two plates on the table and sat across from her. It smelled delicious.

"Dig in!"

Toph couldn't fight her lips twitching up. "You must be a morning person then."

Aang laughed, with a mouth full of food it sounded like. "I sure am! I know I can be annoying; I'll try to tone it down."

"No." Toph said before she could stop herself. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "No it's... nice."

He must have had his mouth too full of food to answer her so she only shook her head and dug in herself. She still held her fork gracefully, eating small bites like how she was taught.

"You don't have to do that, you know."

Toph blinked. "Do what?"

"Your parents aren't here. It's just you and me. You don't have to be proper and formal."

Wasn’t she supposed to be the perfect wife? Isn’t that why he wanted her? Toph Beifong was the perfect little doll to play the wife of the Avatar. She represented prestige, power, and money. That’s why so many people wanted to marry her after all, despite her blindness and aloofness. 

She hesitated for a moment more before shaking her head.

"You're a strange man." Nevertheless, she started taking bigger bites, and even placed her elbow on the table. Her mother would have been swatting her with a fan.

They finished their breakfasts in a- dare she say it- comfortable silence.

As Aang stood to gather their plates, he spoke, "So, I heard that you're an earth bender."

"Yes..." Toph wasn't sure what he'd heard, or how much she should tell him. Her parents were supportive of her bending, but they often hid her talents.

"Would you care to spar then?"

Toph's eyes widened. Now that was odd. "You... want me to fight you?"

Aang backpedaled, "Oh, like a friendly fight! And we don't have to, I just thought maybe you'd like to practice or just-"

"That sounds fun." She interrupted him. He seemed to ramble a lot. But... in a way that made him more conscious of her own agency. Like he was giving her a choice.

"Great!" She could almost feel him smiling. "I'm sure you'll want to change though, right?"

She nodded. It would be best to not ruin a nice dress. Her mother would be furious.

As she went to her room, she found herself growing excited for the chance to fight. But then she caught herself... How much could she trust her new husband? She probably shouldn't give too much away. Her abilities were... not well known and downright strange.

Toph was still unsure by the time she rejoined him in the kitchen in looser clothing.

"Perfect, there's a large clearing just on the other side of the creek."

They made their way outside, and Aang idly chatted the whole time.

"Out of all the elements, earth was the hardest for me to grasp. Pretty ironic I married an earth bender, huh?"

She couldn't help but giggle softly at that. "Why was it so hard for you?"

"I'm an air nomad. The very idea of earth goes against my nature." He joked.

Toph's lips tilted up. "But isn't it nice to think about how everything is connected? Can't you feel it?"

She could almost feel Aang's eyes burning into her. "That's one way to put it."

Aang stopped, right before the creek. "Here's the water, the rocks can be slippery, so be careful."

Toph took his outreached hand as he helped her cross the creek safely. She hoped he didn't notice that she shouldn't have been able to see his open hand. Already, she was letting herself slip around him.

"Oh my spirits, I'm an idiot."

She raised an eyebrow at him as he dropped her hand only to hit his forehead.

"I'm sorry Toph, that was so insensitive of me to ask you to spar when you can't see rocks being thrown at you. I feel so stupid, I  _ swear  _ I'll get the hang of this!"

She simultaneously felt relieved and disappointed. She wouldn't get a good fight, but her secret was safe a little longer. At least until she could trust him more... And maybe one day he wouldn’t treat her like a little glass doll because of her blindness. But maybe she shouldn’t be too hopeful for that. Everyone treated her that way.

Aang turned to her and continued, "We can just practice our forms together!"

"As long as I get to chuck rocks, I'm happy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chap two folks! I've got a pretty good layout for the next four chapters, and then it's kinda... hmm. I'll figure it out lol. It'll probably end up being 10 chapters I would guess! Stick along for the slow burning affection!


	3. Domestic Bliss

After their form practice, they ventured to the market. Aang decided he wouldn’t mind staying at the private inn a few more days before they made the long journey to the Southern Air Temple. He said he wanted to rest more after the stress of the wedding.

Toph had politely agreed- it’s not like she really cared either way, but she was just going to let him do whatever he wished. That was her job as a wife now, wasn’t it?

They walked silently down the streets, and Toph wasn’t quite sure what to say. She just wasn’t quite sure how to feel about him, period. His niceness was throwing her off. He was…  _ too _ friendly. But not in a creepy way? It was hard to not trust him, and to hold herself back in case he hadn’t shown his true colors yet.

She could practically feel him keep glancing at her, seconded by his fast heart rate. Was he nervous?

What kind of dork is nervous to walk with his wife?

“So… what kind of foods do you like?” Aang asked as they paused in front of a fruit stand.

Toph hesitated before she answered honestly, “I’m actually kind of a picky eater. I like most fruits, but I can’t stand most vegetables.”

Aang nodded, “What do you eat most then?”

“Eh, anything with rice and meat will keep me happy.” She shrugged. 

“Oh…” Aang rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Um, I should tell you, air nomads are vegetarian…”

Toph internally screamed in horror.

_ Was she never going to eat meat again?! _

“That’s… fine.” Her voice broke.

Aang chuckled at her obvious anguish. “I’m not gonna tell you to stop eating it, just that it isn’t readily available at the temple.”

She released a breath of relief. As long as he wasn’t banning her from meat, she didn’t care how hard it would be to find. Not that she knew how to prepare it herself…

Toph tried not to flinch as Aang patted her head and laughed. “I’m sure we will travel a lot, you’ll be able to eat meat then.”

She nodded and smiled brightly. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Aang bought a lot of fruit from the vendor before they carried on. Toph wondered, “Do you travel often, since you’re a nomad?”

Toph felt him shrug, the benefits of being out in public was that she could see everything, though she had to be subtle about it. She played along when Aang guided her elbow to the next stand.

“I’d say I’m at the temple  _ most _ of the time, but I do quick trips pretty often. I’ve got friends all over so I visit them a lot.”

Her eyes widened as she felt a spike of jealousy. Friends?

What would it be like to be able to go wherever, whenever you pleased, and actually make friends? Toph wouldn’t know.

“What are your friends’ names?” She asked while trying to take one of the heavy baskets from his hands. He just pulled it away from her further.

“Well, there’s Katara and Sokka at the South Pole. Sokka is married though, so he goes back and forth between the South Pole and Kyoshi Island where his wife, Suki, is. They’re gonna have a kid soon! We all go way back. And Katara just got engaged to my friend Zuko- I introduced them so it’s all thanks to me-”

Toph laughed before holding up her hand. “Wait up, that wouldn’t be Zuko as in the Prince of the Fire Nation right?”

“Oh yeah, he is. But he’s like, third in line for the throne or something.”

She shook her head in awe. She supposed as the Avatar, he would be friends with literal royalty.

They started to make their way back to the private inn. Aang lifted the heavy baskets onto his shoulders so she’d stop trying to help him. The showoff.

“Anyways, those are all my  _ best _ friends, and I occasionally visit some other people if I’m in their area. A lot of times, Gyatso and I will go to the different temples together just to catch up with people. And we do a lot of trading.”

He sure was a chatterbox. But Toph didn’t really mind listening. And it was so easy to talk to him, she caught herself feeling more comfortable around him by the minute.

“Where have you traveled to, Toph?” He asked her as they passed the city’s edge.

She snorted. “Uh, my backyard?”

Aang turned to her sharply. “You’ve never left Gaoling?!”

“Well, that’s an exaggeration, I guess.” She allowed. “My parents have taken me to big parties to show me off. One time we even went all the way to Ba Sing Se. But that’s as far as I’ve gone anywhere. I’ve never been to another nation.”

“Ah, that’s right. That big party for the birth of King Kuei’s daughter- that’s when we first met.”

Toph blinked in surprise. She thought back, “I… suppose it was.”

Why did he remember that?

They arrived at the inn and Aang transferred both baskets to one arm so he could hold out his hand for her to take as she walked up the wooden steps. 

He was a gentleman, but he was also _ definitely  _ a show off.

“Well, I think it’s a total crime you’ve never been out of the Earth Kingdom. Which will soon be rectified!”

Toph giggled, “I guess so, since we’ll go to your temple soon.”

“Right…” His voice sounded a little off, but she chalked it up to him lifting the heavy baskets onto the counter as he said it.

Since there were no maids here, Toph wanted to pull her weight at least  _ a little bit.  _ So she reached into one of the baskets and pulled out an item. She felt it for a second. Maybe a banana? She set it down in the designated fruit bowl on the counter.

Aang laughed, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to help put the food away!” Toph defended, reaching into the bag again. She felt something rough and pulled it out, feeling its shape. She even raised it to her nose and sniffed it a little before wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Ew. Is this broccoli?”

“No. It’s cauliflower.” His voice sounded highly amused.

Toph grimaced, “That’s even worse.”

Aang chuckled. “Cauliflower is versatile. Also, you put squash in the fruit bowl.”

“Ugh.” Toph handed him the vegetable. “I’m gathering that I will be of no help to you in here.”

“That’s probably a good deduction.”

She waved her hand at his amusement and got out of his hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me rolling out the next chapter so quickly. Have some domestic Taang 💛
> 
> Also, I have to get eye surgery on Thursday and it might take a few weeks for my vision to recover, so I might go MIA for a while. Send me some good vibes friends.


	4. The Blind Bandit

She wished that she could _see_ to know for sure that Aang was asleep on the couch. But these damn wooden floors made it impossible to sense him, and all she had to go by was her hearing. She knew it must be dark, she had waited a good two hours from when they parted for bed.

Toph could barely hear his soft breathing from the direction of the couch. He must be asleep soundly.

She tiptoed slowly to the door, knowing the path well enough by now that she wouldn't trip over any furniture. Her ears strained to keep tabs on the sound of his breathing as she moved about the room. She was right by the door now- if he woke and questioned her she would have no excuse for what she was doing. Taking a midnight stroll?

The door creaked as she opened it, and she froze. But his gentle breathing went on, not even a stir. She slowly squeezed herself out the door and closed it as softly as she could. Going down the stairs was a bit hard, since they were also wooden, but she carefully made it down.

Once her feet hit solid ground she took a breath of relief. Ah, earth. Now she could see!

The inn was close enough to the outskirts of Gaoling, not a far walk at all to the underground Earth Rumble.

And after a quite tame practice of forms with Aang earlier, she was itching to really fight.

Toph walked quickly before giving up hiding her excitement and full on running. There was no one around to see her being a fool anyways.

She laughed as she ran, feeling free as her toes dug into the soil.

Eventually she slowed back down to a walk. She didn't want to be recognized in the streets, so she formed a tunnel that would take her directly to the underground fighting ring.

And when she finally arrived, they were happy to see her. Many welcomed the Blind Bandit back, and she was immediately placed in the ring as others wanted to see how they'd fare against the champion. It was a blast to _really_ fight.

In the end, she beat everyone. Of course.

Toph walked down with the bag of reward money in her hand. At first she had thought to hide it in case she needed to escape, but... she didn’t feel the need to run away. (The thought of her husband brought her a foreign feeling of comfort that she decided to ignore for now.) Now she was thinking of finding some families to give the reward to instead. She knew there were many more in need of this money than her.

"That was some very impressive bending out there."

Toph felt as if ice water had been dumped over her head. That was her husband's voice. Dumbly, she noticed his airy footsteps approach her too late.

"Did you _follow_ me?!" She was stunned, turning to him sharply. Stunned mostly because she hadn't _noticed_ him following her. Nobody could evade her senses like that.

Aang held his hands out cautiously. "I'm sorry! I thought you were running away from me... I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

Toph swallowed. Damn this man for being sweet and caring.

She crossed her arms and glared at the ground. "Of course I wasn't running away from you. You're... I-" she hesitated. _I like being around you._ "I'm your wife now. I have to stay with you."

"That's-" Aang frowned. "Toph, I didn't mean to... to _trap_ you. I thought... you liked me, too..."

Toph could hear the regret in his voice, and it made her heart squeeze painfully. Without thinking, she reached out to grab his hands. "I never said I didn't."

"You hardly speak to me, you think I'm going to rape you or hit you, you hide your true bending from me and sneak out at night-"

"Okay I get it." She huffed. "But can you blame me? From everything I have heard, husbands are horrible to their wives. Why should I expect anything different?"

Aang squeezed her hand gently. "Because I'm different. I'm trying to show you that."

Toph smiled, "You have been showing me that, Aang. And I think... maybe I can trust you, and show you who I really am."

"That's all I want." Aang whispered.

* * *

After finding some kids to give the rewards to, they made a silent trek back to the inn.

Aang cleared his throat awkwardly, "So... how did you do that?"

Toph blinked in confusion. "Do what?"

"Do what?" He mimicked her voice. "The _bending_ , Toph. That was the best earth bending I've ever _seen_. Better than me, better than my kooky old teacher, Bumi. _How_ did you do that?"

The small woman smirked and folded her hands behind her head as they walked. She decided to really wow him. She changed her direction to a small boulder on the path.

"Toph, watch-"

Aang cut himself off as he watched her leap on top of the boulder easily.

"What... you..."

She grinned at him. "I don't see with my eyes, but I can see with my feet."

He stared at her in awe.

"As long as there is earth under my feet, I can use my bending and see just as well as you can. Maybe even better."

Aang furrowed his brow, "Better?"

Toph nodded, jumping back down to continue strolling. "I can see the ants over there. I can tell there's no other human around for a mile. I know there's animals skittering about in the desert. I can feel your heart rate."

He stopped in his tracks. "You have _got_ to teach me this!"

She laughed heartily. "We'll see! That's why I was so surprised you had followed me, because I hadn't noticed."

Aang puffed his chest up proudly. "I'm sneaky!"

"Hmm, more like you're a fancy dancer with those light footsteps." Toph giggled as she felt him deflate. She hummed, "I really have never been able to _not_ detect someone though, so I guess it's still impressive."

"Not as impressive as you."

Toph blinked. She turned her head away from him as her cheeks flushed red. "Well, yeah. Avatar Shmavatar- _I'm_ the best earth bender."

Aang took no offense as he laughed in agreement. They came upon the private inn, and Toph detested the wooden structure. Aang ushered her up the steps with a gentle hand. "Come on, let's get to bed. I'm beat."

* * *

There was a light knock on her door that almost made her jump. She quickly tied her robe over her nightgown- if you could call it that. Her mother had packed it and it was... well she might as well sleep naked. "Come in." She called, grateful that this time Aang had waited for a response before entering. He continued to surprise her with his thoughtfulness.

"Hey. I brought you some water. You should drink it after exerting yourself so much."

Toph smiled softly as he approached her and put the glass in her hand, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're really nice, Aang."

He chuckled as she took big gulps. "Just trying to be a good husband."

Aang took the empty cup from her hands and placed it on her nightstand.

She pondered over his words. A good husband.

And her duty was to be a good wife. And that meant...

Toph swallowed roughly, grabbing his sleeve as he shifted to stand from the bed and leave. "Don't you... need to consummate the marriage?"

Aang sighed. "No, I don't _need_ to. I'm not going to force myself on you."

"You... really aren't going to hurt me?" She whimpered, the question slipping from her before she could swallow it down.

"Toph, I swear on Ravaa that I will _never_ hit you or rape you. I _promise_."

She felt tears gathering in her eyes. She believed him. Aang sighed sadly again, placing his hand on her cheek gently. She didn't flinch away from his touch.

"But... don't you want children?"

Aang shrugged, she could feel it in the movement of his hand. "I do. But I wanted to marry you. So now _you_ are my first priority. I want you to be safe and happy. I'm going to take care of you, Toph."

Toph felt her lip tremble. Why was this man so kind?

"I'm glad." He continued speaking as he wiped at her tears with his thumb. "Glad that I married you, so that someone else didn't put you through a living hell."

She was glad, too.

She couldn't take it anymore, and like a dam she broke, a built-up river of tears quaking from her. Aang drew her into a hug, and she buried her face into his toned chest. He stroked her back and let her cry, her small frame shaking with sobs.

Toph was crying to let out her fear, and her relief. Aang was _good_ and she would be treated like her own person. She wasn’t going to have a miserable life.

Eventually, the dam ran dry. She had exhausted herself silly, and she let her eyelids close as she gripped onto Aang's tunic.

For the first time in a long time, she felt completely safe and free in someone’s presence.

(The next morning she was still alone in bed and she wasn't quite sure why that made her feel so empty.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh we are starting to get somewhere here pals. When I said slow burn I MEANT IT.


	5. Tensions Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay before anyone takes a piss at me, as some people have been apt to do on other fics, I know they aren't in the same timeline. There is no war (in ba sing se lol) and the air nomads weren't massacred and somehow the timeline isn't off 100 years. It's fanfiction. It’s an AU. Use your imagination!

That morning, Aang made her drink two glasses of water before breakfast, despite her protest. He grieved the fact that he would have to water her like a plant to keep her alive, since she was about as self-caring as a rock. (Come on, she wasn't _that_ helpless.)

The food was delicious again, and Toph asked him where he'd learned to cook.

"My father- well, he's not actually my father, but he might as well be. His name is Gyatso, you'll meet him at the temple. He's a great cook, and an even better baker."

Toph smiled. "I'm looking forward to meeting him then. My favorite flavor is strawberry, by the way."

Aang laughed, "Noted. I'll pass along the information."

She helped put the dishes away. For some reason, when their hands brushed as they passed a plate, Toph felt her heart stutter at the sudden shock shooting from where his skin touched hers. She stifled her gasp of surprise and shoved the feeling down.

It's not like she _liked_ him. No way. She didn't... she-

_Oh..._

Oh shit. Did she like her husband?

Aang interrupted her introspection. "If you're up for it, we can go sparring again. Like, for _real_ this time."

Toph shook her sudden realization off as she smirked at him. "Oh, so you wanna get your butt kicked by a little girl huh?"

"Trash talking already?" Aang bumped her shoulder. "What if I beat you?"

She snorted, "Good luck with that, fancy dancer."

He groaned. "I was really hoping that nickname wouldn't stick."

"Oh it has. And I'll think of more, just you wait."

"I'll have to get creative, too. Let's see... how about I start calling you Shrimp?"

Toph put her hands on her hips and playfully glared at him. "I'm short and I'm proud."

"You really shouldn't be."

She mock-gasped, "That's it! We're taking this outside, buddy!"

“You’re on, Shrimp!”

They made their way back to the same clearing. Without preamble, he held out his hand again to cross the creek, and Toph took it. It’s not like she needed the guidance- she could see the rocks just fine. But his hand was warm, and it swallowed hers in size, and… it felt nice.

_(Shit!)_

He released her hand all too soon, in her opinion.

“Okay, so we fight for real, because I wanna see those sweet moves you were pulling in that ring.”

She grinned at him. “You’re asking for it, just remember that.”

They circled each other in their fighting stances, and Toph waited for him to make the first move. She felt it when his foot hit the ground, and she easily sidestepped the rock that came up where she had been standing.

Instead of attacking, she watched to see what Aang did on the offensive. She grew peeved when he kept attacking from the ground-literally. He didn’t throw a rock at her once.

“Come on, Fancy Dancer. Stop going easy on your wife.” She taunted. “This is child’s play.”

She heard his chuckle, and then she felt it as he bent a small boulder and kicked it directly at her. She smirked as she let it get close, only smashing it in half cleanly when it came into contact with her. Toph could feel it as Aang’s heart rate spiked at first- so he was still worried that he would hurt her?

Time to show him what she was really made of.

She went on the offensive then, surprising him with rock after rock, forcing him to block each boulder when they came so fast he couldn’t even flee from them. He was the Avatar, he could take it.

After ten minutes of the brutal onslaught, Aang changed tactics. He created a ripple of rock that made Toph jump up. In the few seconds that her feet were off of the ground, Aang disappeared.

Toph stomped on the ground again, but she didn’t see him. She grinned. Now it was getting interesting…

She stayed still, focusing her ears and seismic sense to detect any movement. She felt the exact moment that he floated down and barely landed- and in a split second he had bent a boulder and flung it at her.

Toph laughed as she redirected the boulder back at him. “I’ve never fought an air bender before. So light on your feet…” He had disappeared again. “Aren’t you, Twinkle Toes?”

She heard Aang groan, “What kind of nickname is that?”

“Gotcha!” She shouted, taking aim for his voice. He swore loudly. The rock didn’t make contact though, so he must have gotten out of the way in time.

The next time he landed, she had him. She created a wall of rock around him, so tight he couldn’t escape, and one wall in particular very sharp aimed at his nose. Aang laughed, “Alright, you win. As expected.”

She smirked, letting the walls fall. “I told you, I’m the best earthbender around.”

Aang walked up next to her, “So tell me how you can see?”

Toph nodded. “Close your eyes. Focus on the earth and _listen._ If you concentrate, you can sense vibrations. And you can cause a vibration, and see what it bounces off of.”

She stomped, feeling the vibrations flow and come back to her. Aang hummed, “I think I get it, let me try.”

Aang hit his bare foot on the earth and gasped as he felt the vibrations spread out around him. It was… indescribable. 

“That’s… amazing.” He looked at his wife with even more awe. She was amazing.

Toph smiled at him. “Maybe that little trick will come in handy one day.”

He nodded, “I’m sure it will.”

“Can I watch you bend all the elements? I’ve never seen anything but earth bending.” Toph changed the subject, curious about his talents.

“Sure. Water was the first element I learned after air, and it was easy to pick up.” Aang started towards the creek.

He didn’t see Toph roll her eyes- because _of course_ it was easy for him. Show off!

Toph stood next to the creek as Aang stepped in. She could see him move his limbs in a new way, a more graceful and elegant form.

He moved quickly, and Toph realized he was probably whipping water around himself, she couldn’t really tell when the sound of the creek running was all she could hear. Instead she raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. “That’s some fancy dance moves, Twinkletoes.”

Aang laughed. “I guess you can’t really see the water bending huh…”

Toph popped the p in “Nope.”

“Maybe… you’ll have to _feel it.”_ Aang grinned mischievously as Toph widened her eyes.

“Wait-“ Toph squealed as cold water hit her chest. Her jaw was dropped for a moment before she laughed. “Oh you are so gonna get it, Twinkletoes!”

“Come and get me then, little miss Shrimp!” He taunted.

Toph had a hell of a time trying to reach him. Every step she was doused with water, and Aang kept freezing her feet to the ground. Her attempts at throwing rocks at him were thwarted. She didn’t know what she would do when she got her hands on him, but it would be punishment!

She kicked up mud at him that had been created by his water works. He spluttered, “Ew, that got in my mouth!”

It was the moment of distraction she needed as she finally caught him, giggling too much to do anything but grab on to his tunic.

“Well you got me, what’s my punishment?” He chuckled.

“Hmm, I was going to say eat mud, but seems you already did that.” She put her finger against her lips in consideration. “Maybe I should make you wash this dress that is now full of creek water.”

Aang laughed, “That’s easy enough to fix.”

Suddenly Toph felt the wetness seep out of her clothes until they were dry again. She blinked in surprise.

“And your hair, too.” He stepped closer, pulling at her headband and causing her wet hair to fall down her back. With one sweeping motion, he gathered her long locks up and soon her hair was dry too. 

Aang put her hair gently on her shoulder and pushed her headband back on so her bangs were out of her face. “There. Pretty as ever, Shrimp.”

She tried not to blush but she’s pretty sure she failed.

“Looks like that leaves one punishment left then, I guess.”

Aang quirked an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

Toph slammed her foot down, the earth launching Aang into the air far on the other side of the creek.

She harrumphed in triumph and went back into the house.

* * *

Toph sank down into the tub. The hot water eased her muscles- she really had gone all out on Aang earlier. He was the Avatar after all, and he put up a good fight.

She thought on Aang some more, trying to get a grasp on those damn pesky feelings that had been popping up. 

He was sweet, and kind and considerate. He was a good cook, and a good fighter. He was trustworthy. He was really dorky, a lot awkward, and still a total gentleman. He was fun. He made her laugh. He had really nice muscles-

Whoa. Toph felt her face flush. Where did that thought come from?

She whined and dunked her head under the water, scrubbing furiously at her scalp with soap as if that would make the thought go away. It didn't.

Toph came back up for air and sighed. So maybe she was a little sweet on Aang- that was _fine._ He was her husband, it was a good thing that she liked his company. And his physique.

_Ugh._

* * *

"There's a letter for you, Toph. From your parents."

Toph was sitting on the lounge couch and combing out her long, damp hair when she felt the envelope fall into her lap. A smile twitched at her lips.

"Aang, I know that I like to pretend that I have no problem going about the world, but I _am_ actually blind. _I literally cannot read_."

"Oh spirits." He groaned. "That was really dumb, sorry."

He snatched the letter back off her lap and plopped onto the couch next to her, ripping it open.

Silence.

"Would you care to read it _aloud_ maybe?" She grinned.

Aang groaned again. "I'll get the hang of this, eventually."

"Sure you will." She teased.

"Anyways." He ignored her sassing, "Your parents heard we’re still in town and are wanting us to come visit them one last time before we make the rest of our journey to the air temple."

Toph huffed and quipped, "That sounds _fun_."

He pitted his knee against hers and shoved in jest. "It will be fun! We can make it fun."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too optimistic?"

"Many people!" He said cheerily. "But I am just the right amount of optimistic, I think."

She rolled her eyes. (But mostly in fond amusement.)

* * *

Toph was washing clothes in the creek when Aang walked through the forest clearing and spotted her. He smiled deviously before lightly tiptoeing closer, air bending quietly over the creek until he was right behind her-

“If you’re trying to sneak up on me you should have gone for the trees like, ten minutes ago.” Toph said nonchalantly, throwing a wet cloth in his face.

Aang spluttered, “Ew these are my underwear!” He leaned over her shoulder, “You don’t have to wash my clothes, you know.”

Toph shrugged, “I need to wash mine so it’s no big deal.”

“Well let me help you, then.” He grabbed a pile of wet clothes laid out on the rocks and stood to hang them on one of the lines between the inn and the trees. 

They worked silently, and Toph smiled when Aang began to hum under his breath.

...this was really nice. She didn’t mind if this is what the rest of her life would be like with her new husband.

Aang broke the silence, “Why do you have so many dresses? Don’t you want to wear something more breathable?”

She huffed a laugh. “Of course I do. But a noble lady wears dresses. I only have one loose outfit for fighting, and my parents only got me that because I kept ruining dresses.”

Under his breath, so soft she probably wasn’t meant to hear it, he muttered, “Well I’ll get you better clothes.”

Toph smiled at his sweetness. 

Aang coughed suddenly, and Toph felt his pulse spike. 

“And did your parents also buy you _these?!”_

Toph suddenly remembered why she wanted to do laundry alone. Her face flushed as she realized what Aang must be holding. 

She scrambled to stand. “That’s-! My mother packed some things for our honeymoon but- don’t look at them!”

She was in such a hurry to snatch the offending lace items out of his hands that she wasn’t paying enough attention to the landscape. Her feet dragged on the pile of wet laundry as she was reaching for Aang.

“Toph, watch-“

“Oof!”

They both crashed to the ground, and Toph felt a sharp pain as her nose connected with Aang’s stupid hard chest. 

“Ow, ow, ow.” She whined, pushing herself up on her elbows as she held her nose.

Aang reached out and cradled her chin. “Let me see.”

As his soft fingers gently inspected her injured nose, Toph became acutely aware of their bodies pressed up against one another. Her breasts against his chest, their groins together, even his strong thighs on either side of hers, caging her in. 

He swiped his finger under her nose. “No blood. Doesn’t seem broken. We should put some ice on it though just in case.”

Toph felt at a loss for words as he continued to hold her face just above his. She felt tension fill the air as he finally seemed to realize their position. It felt like they were stuck there for an eternity. 

“Uh! Well, I’ll- um. I’ll go get an ice pack.” Aang sat up and easily lifted her to sit on the ground next to him as he stood hurriedly and went inside the house. 

Toph sat there stupidly, lifting a hand to her chest as if that would slow down the fast beating of her heart. 

It took Aang about ten minutes to grab ice, which meant he was probably also freaking out. Eventually he came back out, completely composed. 

“Alright, here’s some ice. You just stay there and I’ll hang up the rest of the laundry. And then how about we go do some shopping?”

Toph raised one of her eyebrows and pointed down at her robe. “I don’t have anything to wear out.”

“Oh, you can wear some of my stuff then. It’s all really loose fabric so no need to worry about sizes.”

She nodded in agreement and he went about hanging the laundry. She still noted his intake of breath whenever he came across another lace or silk item of hers. He was seeing all of her _private_ clothes- _knowing_ that they were for _him._ Toph wanted to bury herself alive in mortification.

Aang smartly didn't speak about said items again.

It wasn’t until later when she stepped out to accompany him to the market that Toph made some conclusions. His heart stuttered as she wore his clothes, and she realized he _wanted_ her in his robes. It dawned on her, quite dumbly, that he probably could wash and dry laundry with his bending in a matter of minutes, but he wanted to see her standing in his clothes- in his colors.

She didn’t mind though, the fabric was soft and easy to move in. They smelled like an open field of grass. 

He took her hand as they weaved through the market stalls. Even though he knew she could see him just fine. She didn’t shake his hand off though. 

“So what are we shopping for?” Toph asked. 

“New clothes for you.” Aang answered as if it was obvious. “You should have comfortable clothes that you can fight in.”

She squeezed his hand gratefully. “That would be nice. But I still have to wear a dress to dinner or my parents will have a stroke.”

Aang laughed, “We can’t have that.”

"Then you wouldn't be able to give me back." She teased, elbowing him slightly.

His hand tightened around hers, "Good thing I'm not planning to, then."

Toph pretended that comment didn't make her heart soar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I making myself cry rn? Yes. Those taang feels get me man. Hope y'all are enjoying this story as much as I am. Tell me what you think!


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